My university had an unusually high rate of students who commuted, which meant that on any day there were crowds of students hanging around waiting for their next class to begin. For anyone that knows the struggle of having to wait hours between your classes, you know sitting and watching Netflix can grow old after a while. Yeah I said it, by day fifty seven you get tired of watching the same episodes of The Office day after day. Luckily I had the privilege of always living on campus or relatively close, so even a one hour break was enough time for me to run home, grab some food and lay in bed. Even though I lived close enough to campus to travel home during my gaps between classes I didn’t always, instead I started to make more productive use of that time. Whether you need something to do because you have nowhere else to go or you just rather not watch the time pass, there’s plenty of tasks you can get done in between your college classes. And I’m not saying everything you do be productive, because we all know how long that will last. 
As terrible as it sounds, spending some time in the library will save you so much stress later. Taking the time to read over your coursework. work on those projects and focus on studying for exams means less time doing all those tasks at home. If you have the time now, save your time away from campus for actual fun activities. While you’re in the library you can save money on textbooks by reading the textbooks on reserve or scanning yourself a PDF copy. I haven’t bought a textbook in years, all by taking advantage of the books my university placed on hold. To learn more about how to save money by not buying books, click here. The older I get the more I realize how important it is to keep yourself fed. Since you’re most likely stressed, running around campus and running off ramen noodles, use some free time to grab an actual meal between classes. Plus, isn’t there some study by someone that you learn better when you’re well fed?
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The biggest downside of my university was having to pay a gym membership fee whether I wanted to use the facilities or not, so do your best to actually visit the gym when you have the time. I’m not saying you have to go lift weights between history and biology, but at the very least you can borrow a basketball hoop and relive your high school embarrassment. Are you applying to internships or close to graduating? In thirty minutes or less you can have someone on your campus’ career center critique your resume to better your chances of getting hired. If you don’t have a career center, I have some articles on how to create a resume and mistakes you definitely want to avoid. Are you on track to graduate? How about to graduate with honors? Visiting with your academic adviser will ensure you don’t miss any important requirements while also prepping you for life after college. Since most appointments are less than thirty minutes, you should have more than enough time to meet with your adviser.
You might also like: For more tips on how to survive your college years, follow my >SURVIVING COLLEGE< board on Pinterest for tips on studying, internships, and all things college related!!
Pause and think about your least favorite class. Now why is that? Any class where you aren’t getting at least a B means you would probably benefit from attending office hours. Especially if there’s an exam coming up! Write down some topics and questions ahead of time and go visit that teaching assistant who swears up and down that there’s no such thing as a stupid question.
If you have a homework assignment that can be finished in the your spending staring at your Facebook news feed, close your laptop and just get it done! Trust me, future you will be so happy you didn’t leave it till the last minute.
Related Post: The 10 Most Effective Ways to Help You Study Last Minute Large enough campuses sometimes host lunchtime concerts and workshops during the afternoon, since they know so many of you are hanging around waiting for your next class to start. There are people who work so hard putting these together, so take advantage of all the free food and information. There’s no shame in falling asleep in a cozy library cubicle, so if you really need the extra rest, find a quiet area and get some rest. If you rather be sneaky about it I suggest you fall asleep on a textbook so it looks like you’re reading it really close, and if anyone asks just say you have terrible eyesight.
This one may sound weird, but one day you’re gong to be 23 and spend your days wearing neutral colors every single day. Take advantage of this time when you can nap when and where you please. If you must watch Netflix between classes, do it outside! Yes the glare is annoying but eventually we all work 9-5 and don’t get out of the office until the sun has gone down. Damn daylight savings!
How did you spend your time between classes? Please tell me I’m not the only one who had shows I only watched while on campus!
Just as I was about to start writing this post I realized the last time I took an assessment on extroversion and introversion was the 9th grade. I distinctly remember there being a poster on the wall that had the words extrovert and introvert written in blue and purple marker, and underneath were positive traits of each type. Back in the 9th grade we were all convinced it was better to be an extrovert. I mean, who wouldn’t wanna be the type of person who has a million friends and an active social life? I’ll tell you who, an overworked, midtwenties female who rather stay at home and watch Netflix than stay at the party till it’s long past over. 
Looking at my snapshot report, it makes sense. I like to have friends but I don’t feel the need to see them all the time. My upbringing has greatly influenced my personality, with a mom who didn’t believe in sleepovers and a habit of moving towns faster than I could get close to people in my twenties. Along the way though I’ve managed to pair up with someone who is 100% an introvert, which gave me my first lesson in just how different we are even though I fall in the middle of the scale. Introverts are known to enjoy having time for themselves, lose energy easily when in social situations, and seen as others as quiet and difficult to get to know. Each person varies in their level of introversion, yet after having dated multiple introverts, I’ve noticed a pattern in the traits each seemed to have to a certain extent. It’s true what they say, introverts needs time to themselves to recharge and most of all, have some fun. As an in the middle person, it’s sometimes hard to deal with dating someone who rather stay at home and do nothing. Before an argument starts, consider whether you can go with someone else, how you would feel being dragged somewhere, and alternate ways you can spend time together without invading each other’s space. I totally understand not wanting to be the last to leave a party, but turning down every invitation seems a little harsh to me. Introverts are much happier staying home or spending time with people who are close to them. Having to go somewhere full of strangers and endless small talk already sounds exhausting enough, so cut them some slack and choose smaller outings. Dare I say this is my favorite quality? To be honest, I’m a very confrontational person. Whether it’s a random lurker on the street or my best friend, I have no problem telling people how I feel, and loudly too. Introverts are much more reflective, less impulsive with their words, and overall much kinder in relationships. At least in my experience! If you’re a loudmouth like me, keep this in mind next time you have a disagreement. It’s a total myth that introverts don’t have any friends, the difference is that they don’t feel the desire to constantly be meeting and connecting with new people. If you’re dating an introvert, impressing the friends is super important. These are the few people your partner has decided to open up to, so make sure you make a good first impression and avoid trashing them later down the line.
I’d like to say to myself that 2016 started off with a bang, but I can’t. My first day of the new year was spent crying, questioning the decisions that have led me to where I am today, and calling just about everyone in my phonebook for strength. Facebook time hop reminded me that two years ago today I was also crying, but for very different reasons. January 2, 2013 I was boarding a flight to London, something I spent months working for and even more months anticipating. The time I spent living in the United Kingdom sparked in me a love for traveling, which eventually led to me relocating to Washington DC after college graduation, falling in love and slowly realizing my dream wasn’t as perfect as I imagined. Last year on New Year’s day I spent my time wandering the streets of Northwest DC, taking photos on a disposable camera and still believing that if I worked hard enough everything would fall into place. New Year’s 2015 I had a boyfriend who loved me, roommates to talk to when I got home, and barely enough money to pay my monthly bills. A year later I find myself in a much better job, enjoying every moment of my graduate program, but completely alone. If I could go back and talk to myself at the start of last new year, I would warn that version of me that giving all your time to a group of people who have zero interest in getting to know you will only lead to one day feeling as if you are completely alone in a room full of people. Committing yourself a relationship where you are always the first to call, apologize and move forward will only lead to you waking up one day exhausted, unloved and unaware of where to go next. This new year I finally began to listen to what my friends back home had been saying for months, and I finally listened to my gut instinct and realized nothing was ever going to change as long as I was the only one willing to admit change needed to occur. Unfortunately I spent 2015 supporting a man who gradually lost all respect for me, making small talk with people who were openly rude to me, and laying in bed at night wondering why no matter how hard I tried to make the people around me like me, they never did. Washington DC has been my dream since my 8th grade visit, and like an idiot I believed that my dream was possible while also spending time with people whose idea of fun was my nightmare. I cant count the number of hours I have spent sitting in a bar, making smalltalk with small minded people, inhaling secondhand smoke, and just wishing that just one of them would give me an ounce of chance to show them I wasn’t all the bad things everyone assumed I was. If I could show this letter to me in 2015, I would write in all capitals that it’s better to spend my nights alone than to spend them crying on my bathroom floor while someone sat in the next room without a care. I cant say for sure if things will get any better in 2016, but I am in control of the people I allow to into my life. So for now I am alone in a city full of people, but at the very least I can come home and not worry about what argument I’m going to fall into, what someone is going to say about me as I step away to the restroom, or what innocent gesture will be considered rude. If I could talk to the version of me on January 1, 2015, I’d tell her that nothing is going to get better as long as I continue on the same path. So starting today I’ve removed myself from the people who openly dislike me, I’ve quit trying to convince a man that I am worth respecting and I will do everything in my power to take back the dream I had at 13 years old, the one where I’m a strong, independent woman, with her own apartment in the city, a cat to cuddle with at night, and friends to call on when she’s grown bored of sitting at home.
Even though you cant actually purchase any of them you can at least giggle while thinking about the face they’d make opening up any of these brutally honest greeting cards.
For the handsome guy at the grocery store.
7. How to curl my hair, even though I’ve seen about 200 YouTube tutorials! 8. How to properly use Twitter. The best I can do is hash tag a few words.
18. How to keep in touch with friends. I just suck at texting people on a regular basis and keeping up with other’s lives in general.
Not sure if I was going through a second puberty when I chose my meal plan, but there’s no explanation as to why I thought I needed to have three paid meals per day. Let’s be honest, most of us won’t be awake for breakfast most days. Save yourself a ton of money by picking a meal plan that fits your current needs.
Adopting a cat is the best decision I made in 2014. Forget the fact I accepted an offer to attend grad school or that I moved across the country, bringing home Max hands down is the moment I am most proud of last year. With that in mind, he can be kind of a jerk sometimes.
September 13, 2025
4 Reasons You Need to Go See a Movie Alone | When Life Gives You Rubi
maximios Blog
Today I realized something I wish I had sooner, the movies are a fucking fun place to be on a Thursday afternoon. Seriously ya’ll, catching a movie in the middle of the workday gives you the same feeling as skipping math class did in the 12th grade. Trust me on this.
With my boyfriend being out of the country and a day with no homework or work work, I took the opportunity to go watch Dunkirk while it was still in theaters. Quick synopsis of how I felt about it: Tom Hardy could get it, at first I was a bit lost but then it got clearer, it was shot beautifully, and so far it’s the best movie I’ve seen in 2017. And I watch a ton of movies.
I mentioned this next statement in my Instagram story and by the responses I received it deserved a mention here too, can we all admit men’s movie choices are shit? But really though, how many car chases are really necessary in a film? I’m looking at you Mad Max Fury Road (or whatever the hell it was called). By the way, if you aren’t following me on Instagram I definitely recommend you do. It’s my favorite form of social media and the best place to get new nuggets of content when I take blogging breaks.
Going to see a movie alone not only ensures you’ll sit where you want, but that you’ll watch what you want. No shade towards my boyfriend, but he has questionable movie choices at times. Most I will watch with him, but sometimes you just gotta put your foot down, you know? Pick a movie that you know you’ll 100% love, grab a ticket, and enjoy watching it without worrying about how much your date is enjoying themselves.
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I cannot stress this enough, going to a matinee movie makes any day feel like a Sunday. Just not a Sunday at the movies, cause that’s when the theater is packed, there some child screaming in the row behind you, and piles of spilled popcorn all over the aisles.
If you cant make a weekday matinee, I suggest an early morning movie on the weekend. The theaters are much emptier which means no worrying about long lines, loud laughter at odd times in the film, or not getting the seat you want. Middle of the row halfway toward the back, obviously.
2016 was the year I blossomed into the independent woman I am today, so much so that Beyonce would be proud. Sure I could always do things on my own, including backpacking Europe and moving across the country, but in 2016 I lost count of how many concerts, movies and meals I went to by myself without the fear of wondering what those around me were thinking. Learning to be on your own in public spaces is so important for your development, especially if you’re someone who at times thinks you’re too reliant on friends, family or significant others. You can start small like a meal at a super casual place, but honestly there’s nothing hard about sitting in a dark room and watching a movie alone. It’s not like you’re meant to be interacting with other people anyways. As crazy as this sounds, watching a movie on my own this week made me realize just how much I enjoy the post movie reflection my boyfriend and I typically do. Our usual routine includes hopping on the bus and dissecting the movie on the way home, him usually looking for reviews on his phone, me giving him the side eye for looking for reviews on his phone instead of listening to my own. Yes doing things alone will lead you to become more independent, but it can also help you appreciate those around you who provide company at times when you just rather not have to do something on your own.
What’s the last thing you did on your own, and if you never go out alone, what’s stopping you?